Coupling legitimate critiques with offensive traits can delegitimize an entire ideology.

Evidence

Landon critiques the way in which violence committed by anyone except Americans comes to be framed as terrorism. He also accuses the U.S. government of invading and occupying Muslim countries and draws a parallel to the oppression of African Americans and Native Americans. Landon’s critiques of U.S. imperialism, however, are coupled with misogyny and thereby delegitimized. These elements not only position Landon as an unreliable speaker who is unworthy of human sympathy but also codes all elements of this ideology as beyond the realm of human sympathy. Landon’s offensive disposition and personality preclude any of his words from being heard, most notably his critiques of the U.S. government and its destructive actions in Afghanistan and Iraq. This otherwise legitimate perspective, which has been made by many people around the world, is quickly rendered invalid. — Evelyn Alsultany, Arabs and Muslims in the Media, 1000

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to media framing literature and the ‘good Muslim / bad Muslim’ binary discussed in this same book’s intro. — connects to: Playing down the right-wing danger by pathologizing its critics is a lasting tactic. — Rolf Wiggershaus, The Frankfurt School: Its History,…, 2042; Claims of routine unconstitutional overreach convert normal contestation into delegitimation. — Russell Muirhead and Nancy L. Rosenblum, A Lot of People Are Saying: The New…, 205
• SEED: A piece could explore how TV writers use villainous mouthpieces to discredit real political critiques (echoed in shows like 24 and Homeland).